Keepsake
by emeraldeyedirishdaughter
Summary: Rose is finding it hard to accept the new Doctor. She turns to a box of memories that the 9th doctor created to find some answers. This is a Nine/Rose story though Ten is mentioned. Now beta'd and rewritten as of 17th September, 2011


_**Author Notes: September 17th, 2011. It was always my intention to come back to this fic. Originally written over two years ago I never had it beta'd. My lovely beta naughtybunny23 agreed to look at this for me recently so here is the new and hopefully improved version for your enjoyment.**_

It started with boxes, little boxes or rather one little box. Well, one little blue box but not the TARDIS to be precise. Sometimes little blue boxes imply something like a jewellery case from Tiffany's but it definitely wasn't that. Okay, so not so little. Maybe one medium blue box. A keepsake, a memory box - that's what this was. Loads of people had them but Rose never expected the Doctor to be one of them.

Not the current Doctor though, not the one who was currently hot-footing it around the console with his wild hair and pin striped suit. No this box belonged to _her_ Doctor, the one with short cropped hair who favoured jumpers, jeans and leather jackets. The Doctor she had first run with, whom she still loved with her whole heart, well, up until two days ago when he changed on her. His regeneration had left her confused and that's the reason she was now hiding in her bedroom with the contents of the box spread out around her, trying to sort through it all and unable to face the 'new' him out there.

She remembered the day she found the box. It was likely that she wasn't supposed to find it. Her Doctor had sent her in search of some wire from a particular cupboard in the TARDIS. She found the wire but while pulling it down, her eye caught a quick glint of light from the back of the closet, above her head. She reached up and pulled down an earring she recognized as one of hers she thought had been lost sometime ago. She stood on tiptoe and peered towards the back of the shelf. There behind where the earring had sat, pushed as far back as possible was the box. She stretched her arms into the closet and pulled it down, noticing with surprise her name written on its lid in flowing penmanship.

She recalled frowning as she opened it, wondering at its varied contents, items she thought lost and gone forever. These things spoke volumes about the Doctor including the fact that perhaps he was a bit of a kleptomaniac. It seemed like random stuff but then she found each piece had a note attached. There was the tube of lip gloss she'd taken from earth on her first journey. She found one of her hoodies, a blue one, not her favourite but missed nevertheless. Also included was a small vial of her favourite perfume, a hair tie, and a CD of her most loved music. All the items were lost at some point but she had long thought her extreme disorganisation was to blame. She wondered at the time what they were doing in this box and why had he taken them?

Further inspection revealed other items with no obvious relevance until she read the notes attached. The receipt from the cafe where they ate chips after witnessing the end of the earth. The hair piece she wore when they met the Gelth and a piece of the restraints from Satellite 5 (whoa that's a little kinky). The piece of music the TARDIS played as he showed her his dance moves. These were only a sample of his collection but each article was connected to her or them both together. The final item she found was a photo. It was of her sleeping and on the back he had written: _My golden angel who took a chance on me. I love you_.

Her interest in this last item had been so great she hadn't heard _him_ until he was standing next to her. She remembered the nervousness at being caught and trying to give him an apology. He had stilled her lips with his fingers. That night he took other things from her, things that she gave all too willingly - her kiss, her heart, her body, her soul.

Now back in her bedroom she looked again at the material items. The photo is once more in her hands. She had taken a chance on her old Doctor and though it hurt to lose him part of him was still here in this new Doctor. It was only fair she give him a chance, too. She gathered up the items and placed them back into the blue box. Given time she would share the contents with the new Doctor but for now she tucked the box away inside her cupboard.

Opening her bedroom door she strode purposely towards the console room with her mind clear and her heart open.


End file.
